Tommi Bui

Bachelor student

Fabrication and characterization of dip-coated electrospun fiber mats for cardiac tissue engineering

 

Supervisors: Lena Vogt, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Research on treatment of cardiovascular diseases has been focused on the possibility to regenerate cardiac tissue using tissue engineering approaches as alternative to heart transplantation and medication [1]. For the creation of cardiac patches electrospinning has proven to be a useful tool, imitating the fibrillar myocardial structure [2]. While co-electrospinning of a synthetic polymer with components of the extracellular matrix and a conductive polymer has shown positive effects on biocompatibility [3], post-treatment with these materials should achieve comparable results while maintaining the mechanical properties of the scaffold. This project aims to dip-coat electrospun fiber mats consisting of a new polymer blend with solutions of different concentrations to modify the surface of the fibers. The new scaffolds will be analysed regarding morphological, physicochemical and degradation properties.

[1] T. H. Qazi, et al., Development and Characterization of Novel Electrically Conductive PANI-PGS Composites for Cardiac Tissue Engineering Applications, Acta Biomater. 10 (2014) 2434-45.

[2] M. Kitsara, et al., Fibers for hearts: A critical review on electrospinning for cardiac tissue engineering, Acta Biomater. 48 (2017), 20-40.

[2] K. Roshanbinfar, et. al., Nanofibrous Composite with Tailorable Electrical and Mechanical Properties for Cardiac Tissue Engineering, Adv. Funct. Mater. 30 (2020), 1908612.